


We Kiss Girls

by Smol_Moo



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 80's AU, 90's AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Skating, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Fluff, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kissing, Nicole smokes behind the church, Waverly's the town sweetheart, kinda angsty but it all ends in love, they're so in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smol_Moo/pseuds/Smol_Moo
Summary: Nicole and Waverly are in high school, and in front of the town, they hate each other. But behind closed doors, they love each other more than anything in the world.OR Nicole and Waverly navigate being young and gay and in love in a conservative town.A/N: Just give it a go? I'm only making this 80's/90's AU for the cars, the era appropriate bs, and the aesthetic (the music I mention is not going to match the era, I'm sorry) because honestly I like it and I'm mainly writing this to get it out of my head so just sit back, relax, and enjoy this fluffy gay feel-good story.
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 18
Kudos: 288





	1. The Whole World Isn’t Purgatory Darling

**Author's Note:**

> Is this a mess? Maybe. Is it gay? Certainly. Enjoy! -Tam

“Stop oogling at my sister Haught,” Wynonna said, whacking Nicole over the back of her head as she sat down. Nicole glared at the brunette but smiled when she looked back over the cafeteria at the youngest Earp who was sitting with her friends and laughing.

“I’m not oogling at your sister Wynonna,” she replied “I’m oogling at my girlfriend.”

“Same same different”

“Wynonna.”

“‘M Just saying. Besides, you’re supposed to _hate_ each other. That’s your cover right?” Nicole nodded, “So _stop oogling at her_ ”.

Nicole huffed but looked away from her beautiful (secret) girlfriend. Wynonna was one of the very few people who knew they were dating. Purgatory was a small town full of shockingly small minded people, and for their safety and their hearts, Nicole and Waverly had to keep their relationship a secret. 

As far as the people in Purgatory knew, Wynonna and Nicole were best friends and Waverly and Nicole hated each other. The truth was that Waverly and Nicole had been best friends first, but when they started dating Wynonna moved up in ranks. The way the town saw it however, was that Nicole and Wynonna got super close and Waverly was pissed about it, but she loved her sister enough that she only took it out on Nicole. 

“So Doc and I were talking in English and we thought it would be funny to cut holes in Stephanie Jones’ shirt while she's in PE so her bra is exposed and BAM she gets dress-coded and Waverly is avenged,” Wynonna continued, grinning as she lay out her plan to the redhead. Nicole rolled her eyes. 

“She would probably love having her boobs out Wy. It's Stephanie. She has no shame.” 

“Oh… Yeah. I guess that’s true. But we have to do something!”

“Why? Waves said to leave it alone. She said _and I quote_ ‘don’t try and get revenge on my behalf, I’m already on it’. She wants to fight her own battles”

“And she did! Stephanie’s blue teeth are hilarious. But I want to do something too. It’s been a month since I last fucked with Perfect Ms. Jones.” 

“A world record!” Nicole cheered sarcastically, chomping down on a french fry as Wynonna flipped her off. 

The rest of lunch went by in a blur of laughter, fry stealing, and loving insults. Nicole had a spare last block, and Wynonna had Math, so they split at the bell. 

Nicole headed out the front doors, across the asphalt, and towards her most prized possession; her truck. It was a red and white 1972 Chevrolet c10, and she loved it with her entire existence. She hopped up into the driver's seat and threw her backpack down next to her, turning the radio up as she pulled out of the Purgatory High parking lot and into the streets of Purgatory. 

\------

It was a perfect October day; the air was crisp and the sun was shining and Waverly had yet to put the roof back on her baby blue 1970 ford bronco as she drove happily down the country roads outside Purgatory with music blasting. She sang along as the country flew past her, wind in her hair and a smile on her face.

About a half hour drive into the middle of nowhere, Waverly turned up a dirt road that wound its way up into the mountains. She kept singing along to whatever songs played on the radio and turned up the winding road with practiced ease until she reached an empty parking lot. This was her favorite spot. It was an abandoned stopping point in the mountains about 45 minutes out of Purgatory. It overlooked the whole town, and once the sun started to set and the town lit up it became Waverly’s favourite place to be.

She parked easily and switched her music to a jazz station, smiling as she reclined her chair back a bit and rested her feet up on the dashboard, closing her eyes and resting after a long day. 

Waverly heard the truck long before she saw it. Nicole was prone to listening to country rock when she drove, and it gave her away every time. Waverly awoke twenty minutes after she arrived to the sound of said country rock piercing through her peace and quiet from the distance. A few minutes later the black chevy turned around the corner and parked next to Waverly. 

The truck turned off and the music died, leaving a sudden quiet to the air, before a new jazzy tune started up on Waverly’s radio. She watched as the tall redhead exited the vehicle before walking over and hopping up into the passenger seat.

“Jazz?”

“Better than country”

“You love country!”

“But it’s _so_ stereotypical”

“Waverly Earp we live in Alberta. In a town called Purgatory. Where teenagers drive trucks and the football team have future careers _in the rodeo_. Everything we do is stereotypical.”

Waverly smiled at that, and turned to look at her girlfriend with a mischievous grin.

“Not everything,” she said, and laughed when Nicole raised her eyebrows teasingly

“No?” the redhead asked, a teasing glint in her eye.

“Nope. I kiss girls!” and then Waverly moved, hopping out of the car and laughing when Nicole yelled 

“GIRLS? PLURAL?!”

Nicole hopped out of the car then too, closing the door loudly behind her and chased a giggling Waverly around the parking lot.

Waverly was fast, but Nicole’s legs were longer, and she quickly closed in on the shorter girl. She leaped at her and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind, spinning her around as she screamed and putting her down as they dissolved into a fit of giggles. 

Waverly turned and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck looking up at her with a wide smile. “Girls?” Nicole asked with a pout. 

“Just one,” Waverly grinned, kissing Nicole on the nose “this really tall redhead with kind eyes and a kinder heart and like the cutest face ever,” she placed quick kisses across Nicole's face as she blushed “she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and guess what?”

Nicole grinned “what?’

“She’s got real nice boobs too.”

Nicole laughed and pushed Waverly away, only to pull her back in and connect their lips in a searing kiss. Waverly moved her hands back around Nicole’s neck and felt hands fall deftly to her waist, pulling them closer together. They pulled apart and a goofy grin etched itself across Nicole’s face as a soft smile and blush climbed over Waverly’s.

Waverly moved to embrace Nicole properly, burrowing her hair in the taller girl's neck and leaving soft kisses there as they stood together in silence. As time went by, the soft kisses Waverly was pressing to Nicole’s neck became increasingly more suggestive, until Nicole let out a content sigh and Waverly grinned instead. 

“Ms. Earp,” Nicole warned “don’t go starting anything you can’t finish”

“Who says I can’t finish this?” the shorter girl asked, nipping at Nicole’s collarbone and smiling at the noise it emitted from the redhead. Nicole let out a sigh and used her best willpower to take a step back. 

“Me.” she said, a charming smile on her face “I do believe I promised you an _innocent date_ with dinner and hand holding and kisses”. 

“This is kisses!”

“Waverly.”

“Fine,” Waverly stepped away and grabbed Nicole’s hand, winding their fingers together and walking them back to the vehicles. Nicole grabbed a huge pile of blankets and pillows before moving to make a nest in the bed of her truck. Meanwhile, Waverly lined the bed of the truck with fairy lights and grabbed the food from her car. 

Nicole pressed play on her Date Night tape and joined Waverly in the pile of pillows to eat. They had agreed on tacos, a small change from the usual purgatory diner food. Not that Shorty’s wasn’t the best diner in the province without question, but change is nice sometimes. 

The sun had begun to set by now, a golden glow falling across Purgatory and giving an illusion of peace. There were cars driving through the town that Nicole could only guess were people heading home to their families, or families heading out for dinner, or tourists driving through on their way to the city. 

Nicole felt Waverly put her plate down and looked over at the girl, her breath catching when she saw the way the golden light made the youngest Earp glow. Waverly smiled and pulled her into a soft kiss, pulling away to snuggle into Nicole’s side and look out over the town with her. Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly, pulling her into her further and connecting their remaining hands in her lap. 

Minutes passed in relative silence as Nicole and Waverly looked out over their hometown and watched the sunset. Soon, the town began to light up; neon lights washing the streets in a multicoloured glow. 

“It’s so pretty,” Nicole breathed, feeling Waverly look up at the sound of her voice. “It always is,” Waverly agreed, then added “From up here you could almost imagine we belong down there.”

“You do”

“Nicole.”

“Well people think you do. Y’know? That town knows what I know; that you’re the most amazing thing Purgatory has. You’re the town sweetheart-”

“With a scandalous twist.” Waverly cuts in “They love you too y’know. Purgatory’s Finest, that’s what they used to call us”. Nicole sighed “And now we’re supposed to hate each other. All to keep the town from ripping _Purgatory’s Finest_ into teeny tiny pieces.”

“They don’t know us,” Waverly said “and they don’t need to. I know I love you, I know that’s all that matters. Whatever they have to say about it is their problem. Our town is stuck in their ways, one day we’ll get out of here and go somewhere we can be ourselves openly.”

“Does such a place exist?”

“It must do. The whole world isn’t Purgatory darling.”

“I would certainly hope not,” Nicole laughed and pulled Waverly against her tighter, squeezing her hand and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head.

The song changed to Jolene by Dolly Parton and both Waverly and Nicole grinned. Waverly moved quickly, untucking herself from Nicole’s side to straddle her lap and look her in the eyes. Waverly began to sing and the redhead was sure her heart would explode.

“ _Your beauty is beyond compare_

 _With flaming locks of auburn hair_ ,” she tucked a lock on Nicole's hair behind her ear

“ _... ivory skin and eyes of emerald green_

_Your smile is like a breath of spring_

_Your voice is soft like summer rain_

_And I cannot compete with you_

_Jolene_ ”. 

Nicole smiled softly and moved forward to kiss Waverly soundly. They stayed like that for a moment before they pulled apart and Nicole began to sing. Waverly gave a 100 Watt smile, knowing Nicole never sang to anyone but her. 

“ _You could have your choice of men_

_But I could never love again_

_She’s the only one for me_

_Jolene,_ ” Nicole moves her hands to wrap around Waverly’s neck.

“ _I had to have this talk with you,_ ” she continues, letting her southern drawl become clear in her singing “ _My happiness depends on you_

_And whatever you decide to do_

_Jolene,_ ” They sway to the music together, foreheads touching then pulling apart as they tipped their heads back and sang loudly

“ _Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,_

_I’m begging of you please don’t take my man_

_Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene_

_Please don’t take him even though you can…_ ”

The song fades out but the smiles on the two girls' faces do not. They stay like that for a moment, Waverly sitting on Nicole’s lap with her hands buried in the hair at the nape of the redhead’s neck, and Nicole with her hands connected around the back of Waverly’s, both of them smiling and looking into each other's eyes with nothing short of pure love.

The song changes to something soft, and Waverly stands, pulling Nicole up with her. She leads the taller girl out of the bed of the truck and into the empty parking space next to it, wrapping her hands around her neck and smiling softly. Nicole lets her hands wrap around Waverly’s waist, pulling them closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead as they danced. 

They stayed like that for a long time, dancing and singing to all kinds of songs in the abandoned parking lot as the sky darkened around them. Waverly watched her girlfriend, wondering if they would always feel this way. She let herself fall for a moment into the idea of their future: an apartment, a house, maybe a dog. They’d grow old together and dance like this until their legs didn’t work anymore. She wanted that. And she wanted it with the redhead in front of her, no matter what the rest of the world would say.

“What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours?” Nicole asked, spinning the shorter girl around and pulling her back into her.

“Us,” Waverly smiled “Our future. How I want a future with you, and how no matter what that future holds there will always be love in my heart for you.”

Nicole’s eyes softened and she smiled, kissing the brunette softly.

“I want a future with you too. I love you, Waverly Earp. And no matter how much life throws at us I could never fathom a world where that would change.”

Waverly grinned, pulling Nicole forwards until their lips were just barely touching. “I love you,” she whispered “and I’m going to kiss you now”. Nicole inhaled as Waverly brought their lips together, and she knew 

_this would never get old_. 


	2. Too Big For Purgatory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this angsty? Oops. 
> 
> I've started grade 12 (my last year of high school) this week, and it's been weird and anxiety inducing so sorry if this is a bit angsiter or less fluffy then desired. This will still be a fluffy fit collection I promise. 
> 
> I don't know how often I will be updating this story but I do know that I love the idea of 80's skater Wayhaught fluff and the whole aesthetic that I've based this story off of so I'll do my darnedest not to leave it for too long at a time.
> 
> Thanks for reading, more to come soon <3  
> \- Tam

Monday was cold. Clouds had covered the sky and brought with them a biting wind that made everyone a bit excited for autumn to be in full swing. Waverly didn’t even notice the cold, because all she could feel was numbness and anger. The townspeople had seen her at Church Sunday morning where she seemed to be her usual happy self. But when Waverly pulled up to Purgatory High, people parted for her. There was a fire in her eyes that no one dared cross. People who looked at her would say the fire in her eyes was an Earp Fire, but a closer look made it clear this was a Gibson fire. Scorching hot, reckless, and wild. 

Waverly stormed her way through the halls to her first block class and sat down, leaning back and hoping no one would talk to her. Luckily no one approached her before the class started, and soon she was throwing herself into her notes. 

By lunchtime, Waverly couldn’t stand being in the building any longer. She was ahead in History anyways, and she didn’t see the issue. So she went to class for attendance and promptly had herself excused. She opened her locker and shoved her books in, grabbed her oversized denim jacket, and slammed the locker closed, listening to the satisfying crash echo through the empty hallway. 

She sped out of the building and towards her car, where she hopped in and drove as quickly as she could without breaking the law into the winding streets of her little town. She drove for an hour, windows down, music blasting, keeping all feelings at bay. She drove down the highway towards Brockford, an abandoned town nearby that hadn’t been inhabited in nearly 20 years. She turned up Brockford’s mainstreet and headed for the local skatepark. It wasn’t huge or fancy, but it was away. Waverly needed to be alone.

She parked quickly outside the cement park and hopped out of the Ford quickly, grabbing her skateboard from the backseat and turning the radio up. A small grin split across her face as soon as her skateboard hit the smooth cement.

Waverly was a lot of things. To the town she was the nicest girl in purgatory, the head cheerleader, the straight A student, and the  _ good Earp _ . But there were a lot of things they didn’t see as well. Waverly Earp was also a phenomenal skateboarder, she could outdrink Wynonna, she had a wild side, she could beat anyone at arm wrestling, and  _ she loved girls _ . 

On this Monday in particular, the restlessness that had burrowed under her skin had led her here. She felt herself glide across the ground and smiled at the feeling of the asphalt speeding beneath her wheels and the coolness of the afternoon air in her lungs. When she began to tire, Waverly hopped up into her car and lay across the back seat, propping her head against her backpack and watched the sun set behind the hills. Once the sun was further down, she got up again and walked over to the big neon sign that used to light up the park. They were the only lights that still ran in this town after Waverly had fixed them one summer when she was bored. She fiddled for a moment before the lights turned on and washed the concrete with pink and blue light.

Waverly Earp was many things, but as she sped across the cement, jumping and turning, she felt only one thing. Free. 

After half an hour of skating in the quiet darkness, Waverly decided to take a break. She hopped up to the top of one of the bowls and dangled her legs, laying back and looking up at the stars. 

She heard the truck pull up, but didn’t make a move to get up. She waited and let a small smile flash across her face when her music was expectedly turned down.

“Waves.”

“Hey,” she greeted softly. 

“You okay?”   
  


“No”

“Wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head. The person sat down next to her and let their legs fall off the edge of the cement as they lay down. Waverly blindly reached out for a hand and was immediately met with fingers intertwining with her own.

A few minutes passed without noise, just the quiet and the stars before Waverly finally spoke.

“She left.” she whispered, her voice broken. “She promised she wouldn’t. She promised that she would be the one that stays. But she left. And she didn’t even bother to say a proper goodbye. Just a kiss goodnight and a letter in the morning.”

“Oh love,” Nicole whispered softly. She felt Waverly move closer to her so they were against each other.

“Am I really this easy to leave behind and forget?” her voice was so small, and Nicole’s heart broke. She pulled Waverly as close as she could and let out a breath when the girl climbed on top up her and lay on top of her, her head buried in the crook of Nicole’s neck.

“No Waverly of course not. You’re the best of any of us. The world doesn’t deserve you,” she said seriously, feeling Waverly’s shaky breaths against her neck.

“Why was it so easy for Wynonna to leave then?” the smaller girl asked and Nicole let out a deep breath.    
  


“I don’t know,” she admitted

“Everyone I love leaves. Every  _ fucking _ time.”

She felt tears in her shirt. 

“Please don’t leave me Nicole. I don’t think my heart could take it,” Waverly whispered.

“I’m here,” the redhead assured, Moving to sit them up and pull Waverly into her lap “I’m not going anywhere”. She pushed hair out of Waverly’s face and smiled. 

“I love you”   
  


“I love you too.”

“Nic?” 

“Yeah?”

“Can you kiss me now please?”

Waverly was hurting. Her mother had left, her dad had hated her then died, her sisters left her behind, and all she had left was broken pieces of a cursed family and a last name that meant nothing but trouble. Despite that, when Nicole kissed her, Waverly felt herself being pulled back together. 

They broke apart and Waverly moved to sit next to Nicole again, throwing her legs back into the bowl. She looked over and smiled softly.

“We’ll be okay you know,” Nicole said. 

“I know,” Waverly replied, connecting their hands yet again “and I know she may be my sister and your best friend, but we both know she was too big for Purgatory”. Nicole huffed a laugh.

“Her motorcycles and leather jackets and weed certainly seemed to leave a bit to be desired by our dearest townspeople,” she agreed. Waverly grinned “She was certainly the priah of our lovely little community.”

The two of them continued this for a while, laughing and joking about Wynonna’s legacy. Waverly and Nicole may have been heartbroken and angry, but together they knew that they would survive. 

At some point they shifted so they could talk while Nicole braided Waverly’s hair. Two french braids, and a kiss. They switched, and Waverly braided Nicole’s hair as well. Nicole then hopped up and ran over to her car to grab her sweater and returned with a smile and a chocolate bar to share. She lit up a cigarette while Waverly opened up the chocolate bar and they lay back, passing the cigarette back and forth and breaking off pieces of chocolate for each other.

The night fell away into the two of them skateboarding and sharing kisses and playing tag and maybe,  _ just maybe _ , falling deeper in love with one another despite everything. 

  
And if the night ended with searing kisses and whispered names falling from spent lips in the back of Waverly’s car, no one needed to know.


	3. There's A Pickle On This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of moments from over a weekend. 
> 
> Waverly and Nicole find some time to relax and spend time togther between a busy weekend of cheer practice, basketball, work, homework, and church. Chrissy Nedley has some fun at the post-cheer-practice pancake breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope everyone has had a good weekend.   
> For those of you at EarpCurseCon this weekend, I hope that was really epic for you!  
> I watched almost all of the panels live which was really fun and I hope that some time later this year at a convention I will be able to afford meet and greets with the cast because that would make my life. Downfall of being a teenage Earper with no money I suppose.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter! It's pretty short and fluffy.
> 
> -Tam

It was pouring outside. Bucketing. Absolutely chucking it down. It reminded Nicole of a trip to Vancouver she once had with her family. Pro tip: if you want nice weather on your trip to Vancouver, don’t go in the middle of January. It just rains. Purgatory was like this too, only it was October and the chill wasn’t quite as bad yet.

Nevertheless the rain meant the people of Purgatory were inside for the day. It was a Saturday, which for the last few weeks had meant picnics, long walks, skateboarding, long drives, outdoor games, and bush parties. But today wasn’t going to be anything like that. Waverly had cheer practice from 8-11, then she was headed home to study for her test in English on Monday, and  _ then _ she was covering part of a shift at Shorty’s. 

She walked into the gym at 7:50am and began to warm up, the fuzziness of sleep slowly lifting from her brain as she stretched. Chrissy joined her quickly and soon they were chatting and stretching and laughing (because shit’s funny in the morning). Other teammates slowly trickled in as time went on, then their coach came in at 8am on the dot and they got to work with a new routine. The morning passed by quickly, and soon the team was showered and changed and heading to Shory’s for breakfast. 

“Champ was saying he plans on asking you to the winter ball,” Stephanie told Waverly as the girls sat around a table at the diner. 

“Uh… Yeah no. I’m good.” Waverly replied, cringing at the thought.

“I don’t understand what you have against him. He’s sweet. And  _ hot _ ,” Stephanie said “plus, he’s captain of the football team and you’re captain of the cheer squad it makes sense!”

“ _ So? _ We dated for two years Steph. He’s got approximately two brain cells and he’s about as loyal as an escaped hamster. He had his shot and he lost it, time for him to move on.”

“He’s gotten hotter since then!”

“No, he’s just somehow gotten  _ hornier _ since then. Which seems impossible due to the fact that he was sex obsessed at like 12.”

Crissy let out a snort next to her and Waverly glared at the girl. It was true, Champ had been trying to get into Waverly’s pants for years. And somehow he eventually did. But when Waverly broke up with him, he seemed pissed and upset. He had lost the hot weird chick Waverly Earp and now what would he do when he was bored? Fuck other girls apparently. 

But so did Waverly. 

Chrissy began to laugh harder when Stephanie started listing reasons why Champ would make a good boyfriend. Waverly had a look of pure disgust on her face when she listed “ _ arm muscles _ ” that had the young Nedley almost on the floor. Chrissy was another one of the few people that knew about Waverly and Nicole. She and Waverly had been best friend’s since they were very young, and Chrissy was the one person who had stuck with Waverly through everything. Chrissy and Nicole had quickly become close when Nicole picked up an internship with Randy Nedley and she met her at the department one day. They had had lunch together and the rest was history.

“Do you get turned on by big arms Steph?” she asked, a shit eating grin on her face when Stephanie looked horrified. 

“ _ What? _ ”

“Well it’s just that you listed them as an asset and honestly I wouldn’t blame you if you-”

“I am not attracted to arms!”

Waverly huffed out a laugh into her drink as Stephanie tried to defend herself. 

“Sure you aren’t Steph,” she teased “Don’t worry, we’ll keep your secret”. She winked and the blonde glared.

\------

Nicole had been at Basketball practice for hours. They had started at 1:00 and it was approaching 5pm. Not that Nicole didn’t appreciate a solid practicing block, but it was a Saturday and she was tired. Coach let them off at 5:03, and Nicole hurried into the changing rooms for a shower and fresh clothes. When she exited the building she noted that the rain hadn’t let up in the slightest and sighed, bowing her head and running towards her truck.

She hopped up into the chevy and slammed the door closed behind her, turning the heat up and sinking into her seat. Her muscles ached and her brain was fuzzy from all the running she had been doing but she didn’t really feel like going home yet. Home was quiet. Home meant silence and cooking and homework. She decided she may as well head to Shorty’s for a burger first, maybe she would feel more like going home after some food. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove the few blocks to the diner. 

As soon as the door opened she couldn't help but smile. The smell of food and heat from the heaters washed over her like a very welcome blanket. She plopped herself down at a table by the window and closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sound of people talking and laughing, feeling the familiar warmth of the diner settle her. 

“Haught.” She heard her name growled. She opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows.

“Waverly.” she responded coldly.

“Is there something you want?” her girlfriend asked with a scowl and Nicole sighed.

“I guess I’ll get…” She opened the menu and Waverly rolled her eyes “um…. Maybe…. Well…. I guess I could get… gosh I don’t know… maybe…” she slammed her menu closed “my usual please”. She put on a smug smile and Waverly let out a huff of annoyance and stomped her foot as she swiped up the menu and turned on her heel to storm into the kitchen. 

Nicole laughed to herself as she watched the shorter girl leave. She may hate the way the world worked and the way Purgatory was, she had to admit being fake-mean to her girlfriend when they were in public was somewhat enjoyable.

Nicole decided she may as well get some homework done while she was waiting, so she pulled out her books and began working on some math problems. Not too long later, a large plate was plopped directly on top of her notebook.

“ _ Excuse me! _ ” she said, looking up annoyed at the waitress.

“Problem?” she asked sweetly and Nicole rolled her eyes.

“Not at all,” she grumbled, moving her things around so her food wasn’t balancing on her homework. She noticed the brunette starting to walk away. 

“There’s a pickle on this!” she yelled at the girl. She turned around to look at her.

“I’m aware.”

Nicole flipped her off and Waverly just rolled her eyes and walked away. 

An hour later Nicole pushed through the doors of the diner and was met with cold air and a shock. Somehow, it was raining  _ harder _ . She rushed into her truck quickly and started it up. She turned to do up her seatbelt when she heard her passenger side door open and close quickly. The redhead looked over in surprise to find her girlfriend sitting next to her.

“Not that I don’t love your company but… what the hell are you doing?” she asked. 

“Gus dropped me off. I was wondering if you could give me a ride home?”

“I- yeah of course,” she smiled at the other girl and got a smile in return. They began the drive through town towards the McCready’s. She pulled into the driveway and gave Waverly’s hand a squeeze.

“Want to come in?” Waverly asked. Nicole grinned and nodded. They headed up to Waverly’s room. It was a small room with a big window that was lined with plants both hanging from the roof and on the windowsill, a bed beneath the window, a desk in the corner, and a closet in one wall. Waverly’s walls were covered with photos and old records and notes. She had two bookshelves on one wall that were genuinely filled to the top with books, and a collection of guitars leaning against the wall underneath.

Nicole sat on Waverly’s bed, leaning against the wall and picking up her favourite of Waverly’s guitars; an old black acoustic she had picked up in an op-shop a few years back. Nicole smiled when Waverly sat next to her as she began to strum quietly. The sound of the rain and the guitar and the feeling of each other nearby allowed for the exhaustion from their days to set in. Eventually Nicole placed the guitar down and they moved so the redhead was propped against the wall behind where the pillow was and Waverly was laying in her lap. Waverly buried her head into the crook on Nicole’s neck and left soft kisses there as Nicole played with her hair.

They stayed like that for a long while, the sound of the rain and the feeling of being together lulling them into a peaceful daze. Soon both Nicole and Waverly were fast asleep. 

\------

Sunday was sunny and cool. Nicole let a small smile cross her face when she heard the back door of the church open, but hid it quickly as her girlfriend made her way across the grass. Waverly was wearing a white crew neck sweater tucked into a pair of red cuffed jeans, black hightop vans, with her hair braided in two french braids down the sides of her head. Nicole almost choked when she saw her. Though Waverly’s reaction to seeing Nicole was not much different. The redhead was wearing black jeans, black converse, a white shirt, her black leather jacket and her hair was down in loose waves, a cigarette tucked behind her ear. And she was leaning against a tree like a goddamn typical bad-boy movie cliche. 

“Miss Earp,” Nicole teased “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

There was a fire in Waverly’s eyes which meant one thing. The church had gone off on their Gays Are Wrong rant again. And Nicole knew it pissed her girlfriend off to no end because it hurt. And that pain was rightfully turned into a blazing anger and an aching sadness in their hearts. This fire in Waverly’s eyes however, was how Nicole was not even slightly surprised when Waverly opened her mouth to speak only to say

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Nicole didn’t need to be told twice. She grabbed Waverly’s hand and pulled their body’s flushed against each other as she leant in to meet her half way. She spun them around, lifting Waverly up so she could wrap her legs around the redhead’s wasit, and pushed her against the tree. She pulled at the brunette’s bottom lip, swallowing the groan she was rewarded with. She kissed Waverly hard and hot and heavy because she knew that’s what she needed.

They stayed making out against that tree for what felt like a lifetime. Nicole breathed air into Waverly’s lungs, and Waverly kissed healing into Nicole’s skin. Their movements were anything but soft but the love in their eyes and the heat in their veins made this anything but hateful. 

“I love you,” Waverly whispered against Nicole’s lips, and the world melted.

“I love you too.”


	4. Scare You Senseless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We reflect on Waverly's sexuality journey, we see how Nicole and Waverly got together, Nicole makes a dangerous choice that leads to a public confrontation, there's some steamy bathroom shenanigans, and Waverly decides that all the hurt in the world would be worth it if she could keep Nicole by her side.
> 
> TW: Mild mentions of Conversion Camps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lads, hope everyone is doing alright. This one is a bit of a look into HS!Waverly's journey to being a fiery little bisexual queen which I found fun to write. I have uni applications I need to write and social studies research I need to do but I would way rather be writing this instead. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you want 'cause they make my day!
> 
> If you're in the US or Canada and are of age, don't forget to register to vote (especially in the US. The future depends on it. And your vote absolutely counts so please do it.) 
> 
> \- Tam

Waverly was 7 when she had her first crush on a girl. Her name was Jess, she had long blonde hair and a smile that made Waverly’s stomach flutter. She didn’t understand why. Jess moved away a year later, and when she hugged Waverly goodbye, she left a quick kiss on her cheek that the brunette thought about for months, despite the action being pretty normal for goodbyes in their age group. They’d seen it on the TV.

Waverly was 8 when she kissed a girl for the first time. It was a dare, and it made her feel light. It was just a peck, but she knew she’d liked it. But when the other girl pulled back and smacked the person who dared them saying “That was weird. And wrong. Girls kiss boys. That’s how it’s meant to be.” She stayed quiet and never said a thing.

Waverly was 11 when she had her first “girlfriend”. Her name was May, she had sky blue eyes and freckles across her face that Waverly loved. They had been close friends, at least to anyone on the outside. But behind closed doors, Waverly and May learnt about the magic behind kissing. They’d claimed it was for practice at first, but they got comfortable and soon it was just for fun. This went on for 3 months, before May’s dad found a picture of a girl in a teen magazine cut out with hearts drawn on it under May’s pillow. She had been sent to a summer camp, and when she came back, she didn’t remember Waverly at all.

Waverly didn’t kiss anymore girls after that. She was afraid they’d disappear like everyone else. 

The boy’s always stayed though, so she supposed it was just how it worked. When you kiss girls they disappear, when you kiss boy’s they never leave. So she kissed boys. She didn’t hate it, sometimes she liked it, sometimes she really enjoyed it. But sometimes she wished she could just kiss girls too.

Waverly was 14 the next time she kissed a girl. She was at a New Years party at Champ’s house and they were playing spin the bottle. She spun Rosita, to which they laughed as if to say _no_ . But Champ said it would be hot to see his almost-girlfriend kiss another girl, and Rosita just shrugged. So they kissed, _shortly_ , and Waverly remembered why she liked kissing girls. They had soft lips and tasted like summer, and their kisses were light and free. 

When Champ and Waverly broke up, Waverly headed to San Francisco for the summer to visit her sister and get out of town for a bit. She had stumbled upon a gay youth cafe whilst she was there, and made some new friends. She did a lot of learning while she was there, and a lot of exploring too. She learnt what being bisexual was, and how she liked the way it fit her. She learnt that although the world didn’t see it yet, to these people, there was nothing shameful about being attracted to the same sex. She explored that while she was there, going for nights out with people (nothing serious, she was a Canadian visiting just for the summer), kissing girls (and maybe a bit more than _just_ _kissing_ girls), and figuring herself out. She had told Wynonna about it, and her sister had supported her without question, only taking pause to think of the best inappropriate jokes she could come up with.

The first week back at school after that was weird. Waverly had gone from being this new version of herself all summer to Purgatory’s Waverly Earp. Town sweetheart. Nicest person in Purgatory. Best friends with the southern-dream redhead down the street. _Straight_. 

But then it seemed maybe her and the redhead weren’t the best match after all. 

They had been close friends since the summer before grade 10. Nicole had moved to town midway through grade 9, and had immediately taken a liking to the shorter brunette. They became fast friends and by summer Waverly and Nicole were known as Purgatory’s Finest. And despite their differences, Wynonna and Nicole had become close too. The town hoped that with Waverly and Nicole by her side maybe Wynonna would get her shit together and become less of a menace. No such luck. Waverly and Champ broke up at the end of grade 10. Champ was handsy and sex-obsessed and Waverly was tired of never getting to talk to her boyfriend, or even spend time with him when she wasn’t being used as arm candy or for sex. They broke up and 6 months later, Waverly and Nicole’s friendship fell apart. Nicole and Wynonna were seen together much more often then Waverly and Nicole. The redhead was often found in a leather jacket and although she never caused real trouble, she refused to go to church though, and that was almost as scandalous. But it was a small price to pay to accept that Nicole was still the best of the best and within two weeks she was accepted back as Purgatory’s Finest. But her and Waverly started to fight, in public, in hushed angry whispers in booths at Shorty’s, before church, before school. And soon enough they barely talked. Wynonna and Waverly were as tight as ever, but whatever Nicole and Wynonna had done, Waverly didn’t seem to think the redhead was worth forgiveness. So Waverly and Chrissy returned, Wynonna and Nicole became unlikely friends, and the town became used to the biting comments and crude gestures the two girls threw at each other whenever they met. 

But the truth was, 6 months after Waverly broke up with Champ, she realized she had fallen in love with her best friend.

One night, they were drinking in the barn and talking about life. Nicole had been away for the holidays and Waverly wanted to hear all about it. So they lay on the bed in the barn and shared a mickey. A whole. Mickey. Within two hours they were a drunken mess on the bed, talking and laughing. Waverly looked over and saw the joy etched across the redhead’s face as she laughed and her heart stopped. 

“You know what I’ve always wanted?” she asked, a soft smile on her face and her mind a million miles away

“What?” Nicole asked, confusion nestling in her eyebrows.

“To do things that scare me.”

“And what, Waverly Earp, scares you the most?” the redhead teased

“You.”

Nicole looked taken aback. Waverly looked horrified.

“I mean-”

“I scare you?”

“Yes.” Waverly said truthfully, looking anywhere but at her best friend “Yes you do.”

Nicole’s eyes were so soft looking at the smaller girl. If she just looked over she would see how much the redhead loved her too. 

“When I think about what I want to do most in this world,” Waverly whispered “It’s you”

She cringed at how sexual it sounded. Nicole grinned and pulled Waverly towards her so she was sitting directly in front of her, face to face. 

“Oh god. I should’ve just stopped talking. I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m stressing out because you’ve gone all quiet and-”

“I think you know exactly what you’re doing,” Nicole said, smirking as she started to move forwards. 

“Probably not. But I think we should shut up now”.

“I think you should find a way to make us.”

And Waverly was on her in a second, lips colliding, hands winding through hair and around waists, air mixing as butterflies and flames covered their skin and fluttered through their hearts. Many moons later they would realize this is what being with your soulmate feels like. 

\------

“NICOLE HAUGHT,” the buzz of the hallway stopped to look at the 5 foot 3 ball of fury storming her way down the hall towards the tall redhead. Said redhead was leaning against her locker, a lollipop stick protruding from her mouth as she talked to Doc about his motorcycle. A look of annoyance covered her face when she heard her name thrown angrily through the linoleum-floored trap that was Purgatory High’s upper level hallway. 

“Hi Waverly.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Like a list? Or just in an existential kind of way?”

“I don’t need you fighting my battles Nicole. We’re not friends!”

Nicole let out a frustrated sigh “I’m very aware of that Waverly. You’ve made it quite clear. But he hit me first. So.”

“You provoked him!”

“I wouldn't dare.”

“Why are you being so fucking nonchalant about this?!”

“We may not be _friends,_ Waverly Earp, but I won't stand by and watch creeps be creeps to anyone. It’s not personal. There’s just a lot of assholes out there and I don’t sand for assholery. You happened to be on the receiving end this time, and I don’t regret a thing. Don’t let it get to your head though, we don’t need the head cheerleader floating off in the middle of the next game.”

“Fuck you.”

Nicole just raised her eyebrows and shrugged. The bell rang and Nicole pushed off the wall, causing Waverly to take a step back. 

“Have a good day Waverly.” the redhead said flatly, before turning and heading down the hallway towards her class.

\------

“I can’t believe you.”

“Sorry?”

“What the fuck were you thinking Nicole?”  
  


“I don’t know,” the redhead admitted as Waverly replaced the bandage on her hand. “He was just so close to you and… and then he touched you and after that I don’t know. It just happened? One second I was watching him get handsy with my girlfriend…”

_My girlfriend_. 

“...that’s _you_ by the way. And the next thing I knew I was on the ground, my fist hurt, I had a mouthful of blood and a split lip”. 

“You handled the situation pretty well until it got physical,” Waverly admitted, kissing across her girlfriends fingers and hand “you told him to back off, that I was my own person, that no means no, and that you wouldn’t leave until you knew I was safely away from _his anus looking face_ . Then he punched you, you punched back, you fought for a few seconds, he got a really _strong_ punch in, and then it was over.” 

“Cool.”

“ _Nicole_ ”

“Not cool?”

Waverly smiled and moved to stand between Nicole’s legs. Nicole was sitting on the bathroom counter while the brunette fixed her bandaging, and pulled her closer when she realized she was done.

“Actually,” Waverly whispered as she moved to hug the redhead “I thought you looked really hot standing up for me”

“Ohh” Nicole teased “Is that right” and grinned when she was met with an eye roll and a soft kiss. 

Nicole tasted of blue raspberry, smoke, and love. 

Waverly tasted of chocolate chip cookies and happiness. 

They fell into a deep kiss and Nicole let out a shaky breath when Waverly moved to kiss down her neck. 

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” the taller girl whispered and Waverly sighed into her shoulder.

“You did,” she breathed “but it’s okay. Just never do it again” and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Nicole slid off the bathroom counter and moved so she had Waverly pinned against the wall. The shorter girl hopped up so she had her legs wrapped around Nicole’s waist and deepened their kiss. Hands started wandering and Waverly groaned when she felt Nicole’s hand move under her crop top and over her abs. _They were getting carried away_ , Nicole noted as a lustful fog tried to settle over her brain, _they were in a school bathroom and anyone could come in at any second_ -

“Waves,” she whispered against soft lips “we have to stop”

“No” the shorter girl groaned

“We’re in public babe”

“That’s half the fun,” Waverly wiggled her eyebrows and Nicole let out a laugh that barely concealed how enticing that was coming from her girlfriend’s mouth. 

“As amazing as getting to fuck you in public sounds,” Nicole said, too foggy to notice how crude her wording was, “We’re in our school bathroom darling, and it’s kinda gross,” she met her girlfriends kiss again despite this but broke them apart soon after. They both made a noise of protest as they split apart, but they knew it was for the best. Their school bathroom left a lot to be desired, and the knowledge that anyone could come in at any second and was both super exciting and so so so dangerous. Purgatory would have their heads.

…

“I love you,” Waverly whispered as she made her way out the door.

“I love you too,” Nicole blinked and her girlfriend was gone.

\------

Purgatory was silent. The only noise came from when patrons stumbled or were thrown out of Holliday’s Bar. On the roof of Shorty’s was Nicole, a cigarette in one hand and her girlfriend’s hand in the other. Waverly had had the key to Shorty’s since she began helping there at age 12, and she was never one to abuse the power of having it. Except sometimes she did, because the roof of the diner was a perfect place to have late-night picnics and ignore the rest of the world.

And so on this particular night, following many alike it before, she and Nicole had climbed to the roof with fries and milkshakes. They lay a blanket down in the middle of the roof, small tea candles flickering around them, and soft music playing from a radio in the corner. Nicole lay with her head in Waverly’s lap, a small smile gracing her face as she took a long drag of her cigarette. Waverly combed her hand through red hair as she watched the smoke coil out of her girlfriend's mouth in a way that made her want to kiss the other girl senseless.  
  


Waverly had been known as a bit of a know-it-all in her school her entire life. Willa was outright rude to teachers, Wynonna was a delinquent with a sharp tongue, and sweet little Waverly tried to heal the wounds her sister’s caused on the family name. Waverly studied hard, got good grades, was nice to everyone she spoke to (regardless of whether or not they were kind to her back), and was in 2 bands, 3 clubs, Cheer, and 2 study groups. She also TA’d a history class for volunteer hours but who was counting? She wondered now what people would say if they knew that sweet little Waverly Earp was dating a cigarette-smoking, church skipping, leather jacket wearing, Texan _girl_. She looked at the girl in her lap and sighed happily, knowing that no matter what they had to say, none of it would ever give her reason to give up on the pure love she felt for her girlfriend. Her girlfriend who smelt of cigarettes and vanilla dipped donuts and tasted of everything good in the world mixed together. Her girlfriend who made her feel safe and loved despite the cruel hand she had been dealt in life. Her girlfriend who was currently looking at her like she was everything, a smile on her face and smoke pouring between her soft lips. 

“What’re you thinking about?” Nicole asked.

“Kissing you.”

Nicole raised her eyebrows but didn’t move, just smiling wider.

“Well go right ahead love, I’m not stopping you.”

And she did. 

This, Waverly decided, was worth all the hurt that kissing girls could cause. Because kissing Nicole was the most medicinal healing source she had ever experienced in her life, and it was worth the whole universe and nothing less.


	5. Let Me Out Of Here Randy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole makes a horrible mistake. Waverly hates the world. Mercedes Gardner throws a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope everyone is well! Sorry about taking longer than usual, grade 12 is kicking my ass. Hope you enjoy this little chapter, it's kinda angsty but so am I. I don't really know what to do with this story so if you guys have something you want to see or prompts or something let me know! Comments are always appreciated, they make me smile. Have a good weekend everyone, Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadians and yeah. See y'all soon.
> 
> \- Tam

“Whoa.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean that. I don’t know where that even came from I just-”

‘You need to leave.”

“What?”   
  


“Get out, Nicole.”

“Waverly-”

“Out!”   
  


She reached forwards and pushed Nicole out the door and slammed it behind her. There were no tears falling down her face this time, there was nothing. She felt her heart shatter but the pieces felt dull. Numb. This, she realized, was the most betrayed she’d ever felt. Her mother had left her and that hurt a shit ton. Her father and sister died and that hurt almost as much. Wynonna left for the first time and she couldn't breathe or sleep or trust anyone for months. Wynonna left for the last time and it felt like she was being stabbed in the heart. But this, god this would kill her. Those words were poison to her soul. 

Waverly walked deftly into her room and got changed. A cute dress under an oversized denim jacket and a pair of Doc Martens. She pulled her hair up into a half-up-half-down doo and tied it with a grey scrunchy, and smiled. She had nothing left,  _ no one left _ . The only logical thing? Party.

Waverly drove two hours into the city, and headed for Clootie’s, a local club with the perfectly curated extravagantly dangerous vibes that Waverly needed in that moment. Something to make her feel.

She walked through the door and let out a deep breath. Dance time. She walked to the dance floor and felt herself get lost in the synth and bass, letting her body take over her mind and let loose. It didn’t take long for the absence of Nicole by her side to make itself present, so she bought a drink and kept going. 

_ You’re crazy _

A shot

_ God, you’re such an Earp _

drink

_ You’re so paranoid! _

More shots

_ No wonder Wynonna got out of here as soon as she could _

Her heart hurt more now. Her lungs ached and she felt sick. She ran out of the club and choked in deep breaths of cold air. 

_ Goodbye my love, stay safe _

_ She’s no daughter of mine _

_ It’s just you and me Wynonna, we get each other. We don’t need anyone else _

_ I love you, I’ll see you soon babygirl _

_ Babe, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal. Chill out. _

_ I’m so sorry babygirl I have to go. _

_ Her sister is crazy _

_ The Earps are a plague on this town _

_ She may be Waverly but she’s still a bloody Earp _

_ She’s got Earp fire in her heart, never forget that _

_ I’m sorry babe but what am I supposed to do? You never have time for sex anymore. _

_ I hate living a lie Waverly! _

_ And who would ever love weak little Waverly Earp? _

  
  


She’s not sure how she makes it out of the city safely, but somehow she ends up speeding down the empty roads back towards purgatory with her windows all the way down and a mixtape blasting.

That’s when Randy Nedley showed up. Because when a baby blue 1970 ford bronco that belongs to your daughter's best friend and the town sweetheart comes shooting down the highway 100km over the speed limit at 1:30am, you wouldn’t dare turn a blind eye. Especially when the one and only Waverly Earp is driving like  _ that _ . 

“Waverly? That you?”

His heart broke when he saw her. Tear tracks down her cheeks, lips bleeding from the anxious chewing, eyes broken and red, and an old polaroid clutched in one hand. The one of her and her sister and her mother. 

“God you two really did a number on each other today huh?” The sheriff asked, a sad smile on his face. 

“What?” Waverly croaked from her seat, looking at him with furrowed brows.

“Your girlfriend,” the sheriff stated calmly “she came in for her internship tonight looking like someone had run her over with a truck. Sad-drunk too.”

“Good.” Waverly replied coldly, too drunk to realize that the sheriff knew about her and Nicole. Too angry to care. “She deserves it.”

Nedley chuckled softly before opening Waverly’s door and leading her to the squad car.

“I’ll have Levi come pick it up. You’re going to have a fun night in Wynonna’s shoes tonight missy,” he said, and Waverly just tiredly nodded. The holding cell. Wonderful. 

\------

“LET ME OUT OF HERE RANDY!” Waverly yelled, venom lacing her voice. 

“No can do kid. Sorry.”

“PLEASE! PLEase” he voice broke. She could hear her own exhausted sobs drowning out that of her cellmates.

“I can’t- not after what she said. Please, just let me go home.”

“I’m sorry Waverly I wish I could. But there are rules, and the two of you need to be sober before I release you.”

“Fuck,” the brunette cursed quietly as the sheriff left the room yet again. 

“Waves please I’m so sor-”

“Save it.”

“Waverly.”

“I said  _ save it _ . I trusted you. I  _ love _ you. And you used the worst words you could find to hurt me. That’s not something I can forgive in a few hours Nicole.”

There was silence. They were both crying, not daring to look at the other.

“You’re really pretty,” Nicole slurred drunkenly into the dark, and the smaller girl’s heart shattered all over again. Waverly fell asleep at some point and woke up to find the redhead watching her. The cell was unlocked, they were free to go, but she was still there.

“I can’t believe I said those things.” she whispered. 

“Yeah.” Waverly agreed “Neither can I”. And she was out of that cell in a millisecond. 

\------

3 weeks went by, and if the town didn’t think Waverly Earp hated Nicole Haught before, they certainly did now. And they weren’t completely wrong anymore. 

Waverly did everything she could to keep her mind off her heartbreak and not let it show. She went to cheer, to school, to breakfast with the squad, on hikes with Chrissy and jazz band with Robin and studied with Doc and Dolls. She went skating on clear nights and went to the movies with friends on rainy ones. She wrote songs and went to work and attended church without leaving to get air once. She was bored out of her mind, but it was better than being sad.

Nicole tried her best to not let it get to her. She went to basketball, and only looked over at the cheerleaders at games sometimes. She went to school, studied for tests, read books, went on long drives, repaired her truck, learnt how to bake macaroons, practiced the guitar, went hunting with Doc, went on runs with Dolls, smoked with Rosita behind the bleachers and didn’t even bother waiting outside the church. She hated herself every second of the day. 

All of this because she got drunk, Shae Pressman was flirting with her and she didn’t realize, and she lost it at her poor girlfriend when she realized she was  _ jealous _ . It wasn’t Waverly’s fault that the town was conservitive, religious, and full of assholes. It wasn’t Waverly’s fault that Shae was bold when she couldn’t be. It wasn’t Waverly’s  _ fucking falut _ that Nicole hated the way the world worked. And yet she let it seem like it was. And she said things that could never be taken back. 

Thanksgiving long weekend was sacred in Purgatory for some reason. Waverly thought it was absolute bullshit. “ _ Thanksgiving is just the undercover celebration of the mistreatment of Indiginous peoples” _ Wynonna had told her once. She hadn’t enjoyed the holiday the same after that conversation. Luckily for her, this weekend would be different. Because it was mid October and the leaves were changing and she just wanted to have some god damn fun. And Mercedes Fucking Gardner was having a huge ass party.

\------

Eyes turned when Waverly walked into the Gardner house that Saturday night. She was wearing light blue jeans cuffed at the ankles, a black t-shirt tucked into them, an orange flannel on top, her hair in another half-do, and black converse hugging her feet. This was not the Waverly Earp they were used to. Waverly Earp wore skirts and crop tops and oversized denim jackets. This Waverly Earp was… different. And not a soul was complaining. She looked hot.

Nicole’s jaw dropped when her ex girlfriend walked into the room wearing  _ that _ . That was  _ her _ Waverly. That was I-Take-Shit-From-No-One Waverly. That right there was the Waverly Earp most people had never seen, and they were damn lucky they got to now. Nicole almost lost her cool in that moment. Almost. But she stayed, slack jawed in the corner with a cigarette tucked behind her ear, leaning against the wall with her hands in her jacket pockets, and watched from afar. She watched as Waverly made her way around the room, talking to people and laughing and drinking. Nicole had to move once some guy started flirting with her and she flirted back. Nicole decided she needed a drink.

Nicole walked up to the counter and started filling her cup. Some mix of certain death. Then she made her way to her favourite room in the Gardner Mansion. It was a music room, full of guitars and a piano, a drum kit and good quality tech. The family never used it. Nicole had found it years ago and when she asked Mercedes had told her it could be her safe space if she needed, no one went in there anyways. She made her way over to the record player in the corner and put on a random tune. Some kind of jazz swing, probably from the ‘50s. She moved over to the couch at the back of the room and flopped down, careful not to spill her drink. She sipped and hummed along to the music, letting herself relax. 

She thought about her ex girlfriend, flirting with some guy downstairs while she was up there, unable to do anything about it. She thought about Waverly’s outfit, and how if they were together she would tell her how proud she was that she got the courage to wear it. She thought about how much that outfit made her miss her. She wished she could just get over it. It had been weeks and she still couldn’t get her shit together. 

“Hi.”

_ Oh no _ . 

“Uh.. Hey?”

_ Fuck no _ . 

“Can I sit?”

_ Always _

“If you want.”

“I hate you.”

_ ouch. _

“Okay,” she whispered, the words cutting her all over again.

“I hate you so much for saying those things to me. I hate you for letting yourself say those things. I hate you because I believe them. I hate you because you promised you’d never leave and instead you brought up everyone who did and that was so much worse.”

“Waverly-”

“No. You know what the worst part is? Because the betrayal almost killed me. But after? After all of this you know what makes me so angry and feel so,  _ so  _ weak? I hate you so much, and yet I can’t-” she took a deep breath “I can’t stop loving you. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I hate you, I love you with an equal amount of passion and it’s killing me.”

There was a moment of silence. Nicole broke it.

“I wish I could fix it. I wish I could take it back. I wish I could convince you to trust me again and take away all of your pain but I can’t Waverly. I can’t. And if that means you never forgive me and you have to love-hate me from afar I wouldn’t blame you,” then Nicole whispered “I really wouldn’t.”

“Can I- can I do something really stupid and selfish right now and deal with the consequences and pain tomorrow?” Waverly asked, shifting.

Nicole let out a breath “Yeah,” she whispered “do whatever you need to.”

Then Waverly was up and standing in front of her and she pulled Nicole up too. Nicole closed her eyes and waited for the slap. The punch. The beating or screaming or something. Insead she felt lips on hers, salty from tears but fiery from hurt and anger. And she kissed back. It was all fire and fury and lust and longing. Waverly wrapped her legs around Nicole’s waist and the trailer girl pushed her up against the wall, swallowing the moan that escaped Waverly’s mouth.

“I love you,” the redhead whispered against soft lips.

“Prove it.” was the reply “Show me.”

And 3 weeks of pain became a little less when they fell together once again.


	6. PSA TO THE USA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update, an excerpt, and a message

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just me, a Canadian living 2 hours away from a US border, asking all the American readers I have here that are of legal age to Please Please Please go vote. Please. Tomorrow will change everything for better or worse, the whole world is watching you, go vote him out and give us a reason to look away. 

I'm begging you. 

* * *

No, I haven't forgotten about this fic, I've just been super busy with school work and other stuff that I haven't really had time do write. This isn't abandoned, just maybe on hiatus for a bit until I have more than an hour of free time a day. Classes are switching over soon so I should have a bit more time after that.

(and I'll delete this whenever I update next.)

* * *

An excerpt from the part of the next chapter I have written to keep you all interested:

_ “Stop looking at me like that,” Waverly said, and Nicole’s brows furrowed in confusion.  _

_ “Like what?” she asked _

_ “Like that! How am I supposed to even try to hate you when you look that gorgeous all the time? And then you look at me with your stupid pretty eyes and disgustingly stuninng smile...” _

_ Nicole grinned and Waverly rolled her eyes. _

  
  



End file.
